Paper Cup + Hot Tea/Coffee= Cancer and Litter Does this bother you?? HSR Citizen Forum's DITCH PAPER CUP campaign strives to change this scene in HSR!

It’s a common sight to see people drink tea/coffee in a paper cup and just throw the cup here and there.

Convenient, right? Ever wondered what’s wrong with this habit? Read Along!!

Ever wondered how these disposable ‘Paper’ cups hold the beverage? These cups have an inner plastic or wax lining to make these cups leak proof. 

According to a study published in The Journal of Hazardous Materials, when hot liquids are exposed to the waterproof lining inside paper cups, billions of microplastics are released into your drink.

Within 15 minutes this microplastic layer degrades as a reaction to hot water. An average person drinking 3 regular cups of tea or coffee daily, in a paper cup, would be ingesting 75,000 tiny microplastic particles which are invisible to the human eyes. 

• These microplastics, heavy metals and toxins that get released from the lining of the paper cups are proven to have adverse effects on both environment and health. These toxins are known causes of cancer, reproductive issues and hormonal disturbances. 
• These ubiquitous cups wreak havoc on the environment. They top the list of littered items, clogging drains and polluting waterways.
• Most cups are used once, but end up stuck in landfills for years, or worse, polluting our environment.

Making a single-use cup requires a shocking amount of resources – millions of trees cut down, gallons of water wasted, and petroleum-based chemicals used. All for a cup destined for the trash.

• The sinlge use cups often end up in landfills or are burnt by vendors. 
•  Landfills take up valuable space, and burning them releases harmful greenhouse gases that trap heat in the atmosphere, contributing to climate change.
• Recycling these cups is also a challenge. Separating the contaminated plastic lining from the paper layer is a complex process.  

• Reusable cups : A simple solution to this multi-faceted problem  is opting for a durable steel cup! 
•  Steel is safe, easy to clean, and lasts for years, eliminating the constant waste stream of disposable cups.
• Washing a reusable cup uses a fraction of the water needed to make a single paper cup - so it is a clear winner & game changer!!

• HCF Volunteers mapped the tea shops, petty shops and bakery sector-wise
•  Awareness was given about the harm of using the paper cups for hot beverage, and the shops were given posters, steel cups and bucket and encouraged to change over.
• The shops on the average use 100-120 paper cups, which adds to the litter on the roads and to the dry waste that reaches landfill.
• Constant monitoring is being done to ensure adherence to using steel or glass cups.
• Over 8000 paper cups being saved from reaching landfill or storm water gutters every day!